Big news...

So as you all know, our last IVF process ended in heart ache.. We got pregnant with twins and I lost them at 7 weeks. It has been very hard on me and I am so thankful for all my family and friends that have been helping me get through it all. You all have NO IDEA how much you mean to me.

After we lost the twins my husband and I both decided that we would not do another round of IVF. Then I started (recently) thinking about the 4 embryos that we still have frozen and what will we do with them?

The options were...

1. ) Toss them. If you know anything about the retrieval of eggs and what a woman going through IVF goes through to actually get those eggs out. But its alot. To just "toss them" would be very hard for me, and probably not the decision I would make.

2.) Donate them. This is what we have said from the beginning that we would do if we had another successful pregnancy and there were embryos left over. Now, being as we haven't had another successful pregnancy this would be a very hard decision. Knowing that there is a chance that someone else is out there carrying the baby that I couldn't would be really hard for me. Plus it would be really weird knowing there is a full biological child to us out there somewhere. Someone that looks like Logan.

3.) Give it another go. Try IVF again. This is the only way I think I could fully know that Ive done everything I can do to have another baby.

I talked to my husband about our decisions. He said it was about 75% up to me.

So this is my decision. I have done some research and have found that Vitamin B12 might help our situation. So my husband will take that for a while and we will try the "natural" way. We are going to Vegas in September and then Disneyland in November. If we are not pregnant by January or February I will start the process of IVF again.

I know I am setting myself up for disappointment, but I cant finish my attempts at having another baby until I try again.. If the outcome is good the happiness will last forever. If it is bad the sadness will always be there, but not as strong as the happiness if it takes. Logan deserves to have a sibling. He loves kids of all ages. We deserve to have another baby, and both of our families deserve to have another kid in the family.

I hope this is the right decision. I'm so excited, and yet so scared.. I have the support of friends and family, and with that I'm sure we will be OK.

<3 Charlene

OH and I have to add a picture of Logan!!

He turned 2 on June 5th!!!!

First day of shots!

Hey!!

I cant believe today is actually the day that I start my shots!! Not to much longer til i do the transfer!!! 33 more days if all goes right!!!! Wow that's no time at all!

I'm a bit nervous to begin the shots, I remember doing them last time, but I don't remember if there were any side effects or anything! I picked up all my medication yesterday! $460 worth, which is way better then the $2089 it was last time!!!

My house now looks like a pharmacy! LOL

Anyways just wanted to share my excitement!!! Wish me luck that I remember how to give myself a shot lol!

Charlene

The Plan!!!

Hi all!!

I have great news! I finally found a phone number that I could call and make the IVF coordinator call me to tell me my next step (yes she seems to be very unprofessional, but I'll work with what I have to!)

She called me this after noon and we outlined the plan and I have dates for everything!!! Tomorrow I go to their office to pick up my lupron (hormone shot to the belly), I start that on Friday! I will be doing a shot a day between 6pm and 9pm. On December 3rd I will go in for an internal ultrasound and blood work to check to make sure everything is going good. Then I will begin taking a daily Estrace Pill (which is an estrogen pill). On December 17th I will then go in again for another ultrasound to measure my endometrial thickness (which is the lining of the uterus to see if it is ready to have the FET done!)

And for the big date!!!! : If all is good the plan is to do the FET on December 22ND!!! Just 3 days before Christmas! Woo hoo!!! And I will then go in for a blood pregnancy test to find out if it took 10-12 days after that! (last time it was 12 days).

I'm so excited to finally know a date and what the plan is!!!

If anyone has questions about anything let me know! I can try to answer things!!

Love,

Charlene

And because I like sharing pictures of my son, he saw Santa today!! (yes a little early, but there was no line and I wanted to see if he cried!! He didn't!)

Trial Transfer and Saline infusion Done!

Hey!!

I had the trial transfer and the saline infusion done yesterday! I was a little nervous because I was driving myself since my hubby had to work and I couldn't remember if they gave me any pain medicine last time. Good thing they didn't give me anything because my IVF coordinator didn't respond to my message I left her asking if they did and if I should get someone to drive me. Actually she still hasn't bothered responding. I really hope this isn't how she is! Our last coordinator was awesome and on top of things and very personal!! I wish she was still there.

Anyways, the procedure went great, a little uncomfortable, but not very painful!! My doctor didn't see anything to worry about, meaning that we can proceed with the FET!!!! I now have to wait for the coordinator to call me to discuss the next step (hopefully she calls on Monday!!). If I remember right I believe the next step will be to start the shots! Then hopefully everything goes quickly after that!

I am glad I have my beautiful baby boy to keep me side tracked thru this procedure! It would be harder if this was our 2nd time around and we had nothing to show for the 1st time!

While I was at OHSU I used the bathroom and there was a sign behind the toilet that I thought was a bit odd and comical.

Not quite sure who they are talking to here, but I'm guessing someone actually drank out of the toilet at one point and they felt the need to let you know NOT to do that? Crazy people lol.. Gave me a good laugh before my procedure!

Type at ya later!!!

Charlene

Getting Anxious!

Hey!!

So, my friend Maria had a beautiful baby boy yesterday! Seeing pictures of her handsome little man has made me anxious and even more excited to get going on this round of IVF!

Today is the 4th day of the birth control and tomorrow I start the antibiotics! Only a few more days til we get the ball going and we do the trail transfer. If I remember right, soon after that is when I start the shots! It all goes pretty quick from there! I'm so excited! A few of my friends are pregnant and I would love to be able to talk with them about it!

I'm not sure if its the BC or just life, but Ive been really tired the last few days! Maybe its just a preview of how I'm gonna feel being pregnant and with a newborn and a hyper toddler? I look forward to that!

(Told you he is hyper! With a splash of crazy!!) I wouldn't have it any other way!

Anyways just thought I would check in!!

Love,

Charlene

Introduction

Hi all!

Id like to introduce myself and tell you a bit of why I'm making this blog.

My name is Charlene. I have been married for 8 years, to Damien. I am 29, he is 32. Right after Damien and I got married we decided to start trying for a baby. After 6 years of trying we finally admitted that we needed help and we were never gonna be parents if we didn't go get it!

We went to OHSU and started getting tested to make sure we were OK to do IVF, In Vitro fertilisation. After determining that we were eligible for IVF we started the process, which was long and expensive! In the end it ended up costing us $15,000, but we were able to freeze 7 embryos (my egg and my husband's sperm), for future IVF treatments.

Our son, Logan, was born on June 5th 2009. I had a bit of a rough pregnancy and a rough Labor, but Logan was completely worth every penny, every shot, every hour of bed rest and all 23.5 hours of labor!!

A couple weeks ago we met with the IVF doctor again to see about doing a FET, frozen embryo transfer, with the frozen embryos that we have. This is why I decided to keep a blog. I kept a little blog with my other IVF treatment and pregnancy with my son, and I loved going back and reading it. So I am going to keep a more detailed one with this treatment and pregnancy!

We were waiting for me to start my period, then on the 3rd day I will start Birth control. They want me to take birth control so they can regulate my ovulation. Today is my first day of taking the birth control. On Wednesday I will start an antibiotic because on Friday I have to go in so they can do a Trial Transfer. A trial transfer is where they take a catheter and do exactly what they will do when we do the actual FET to make sure there are no obstacles. They will also be doing an ink test (squirting ink in my tubes) to make sure nothing new has popped up since my last pregnancy that will effect another pregnancy.

I can't wait to give Logan a brother or a sister or maybe even TWINS, and I am looking forward to blogging about it!!

MyFamily!